Questions, Questions, Questions

[Lori Hamill]

Hello Everyone! Another Newbie here!

I'm not totally new to horseracing (I can decipher a racing form to a degree), but I am totally new to SIM-anything!! I have never played any sort of "SIM" so this is all new to me. I do have questions, I'm sorry in advance if they are stupid or obvious.

Are the races run "off" screen? (They are run too late for me to check here on the east coast. I get up for work at 4 a.m.)

How often should SIM horses be worked out? It seems like in real life racing it usually is once a month. Here it seems to be a lot less. I have been trying to "feel out" some of the horses I've bought (yes, lots of Jaysman) and would like to work them out over different surfaces but I'm not sure if that is even worth it?

How many horses are usually in one stable? Or which is a nice number to own?

What ratio per amount of horses in a stable is best to race each week? Since I'm very new and don't really know what I'm doing should I be only racing one or two a week? I currently have 23 horses, mostly all maidens, most are 3-4 years old. I do have 2 babies that I bought fairly cheap just for the experience. (I can be very patient.) I have a few 2-year-olds - unraced - because I read somewhere on this forum it was best to wait until later in the year to race them. (I don't want to risk any injuries to any of my horses if I can help it.)

How does everyone chose which races to enter their horses in? Is there an advantage to racing a claimer in Kentucky instead of California? (as an example)

Right now I have almost all of my horses at Whispering Oaks because the board is free, but that means maying a fair amount in shipping to get them to races out of state - (like Trial Park).

Has there ever been any SIM harness racing?

Is there any betting going on during these races?

I probably have a lot more questions, I have to remember to write them down as they come to me.

I want to thank everyone for their help in advance and also thanks to The Steward for offering this oppurtunity for SIM racing. It's a great site and I'm very excited about working with my horses. They haven't even won anything for me yet and I'm already really attached to them!!

My stable is Happy Trails. I ran one horse in a race on Tuesday, she came in fourth and I couldn't believe how excited I was over it!

Thank you all! Sorry this is so long!

[Greentree Racing]

nm

[Kim Plausible]

How often should SIM horses be worked out?
This is for the game to know and for you to figure out! Most trainers recommend very long breaks between working yearlings, and not starting to work later until later in the year. (Working yearlings early can cause injuries but can also tell you about the quality of the yearling so some trainers find that information more useful than the cost of the possible injury.) Two year olds most people advise 3-5 weeks off in between work outs (or races if they have started racing.) For older horses 2-3 weeks between races (race week 1, off week 2, race week 3 or 4) is recommended. Work outs are used for training so a horse that is racing consistently shouldn't need a work out. And remember, that's just what is recommended, and every single horse and trainer is different!

Also, 2 year olds do not necessarily need to start later in the year! People hold off on racing routers or even milers until later in the year because the races increase in distance for 2 year olds as the year goes on. Routers aren't bred to sprint, so entering them in a 4 furlong race at the start of their 2 year old season probably won't garner a win. Still, some owners find that the racing lines for these races teach them what equipment the horse will need, even if they don't win. So, again, it's up to you when to race your horse, but for sprinters I see no reason to hold off until the middle of the year to start racing them (unless they have been recently worked).

What ratio per amount of horses in a stable is best to race each week?
That's up to you as well. I somehow always get myself on a schedule where a lot of my stable is running in one week, and that makes it hard to enter and ship that week, so I prefer to break it up if I can. (Not always possible!)

How does everyone chose which races to enter their horses in? Is there an advantage to racing a claimer in Kentucky instead of California? (as an example)
Some racing circuits tend to have tougher competitions than others, but even that can change depending on where people send their nice horses and which horses surprise their owners. The important thing is to make sure you get your horse's distance and surface appropriate by looking at their pedigree and race them where they can be competitive. You can check out what horses are already entered in a race so you should have a pretty good idea what you are up against, while you learn which circuits offer tougher or softer fields.

[Leigh Ann Anderson]

Welcome to the Sim!! Ok, let's see how many of your questions I can answer.

Yes, the races are run "off screen" ie, there are no lovely races to actually watch.

As far as workouts, 2 YO's must have 2 workouts before they can be entered to race (you can work out yearlings to accomplish this 2 workout requirement). Working out older horses is usually done if 1)the horse has not raced in a long time like some of the Jaysman horses and 2) if there is not a race that fits your horse anytime soon and you have a specific target in mind; usually this tactic is used for stakes level horses. You might also work a horse over a different surface than they have worked or raced over to see if they might be competetive over that surface.

As far as the number of horses, that is up to the individual player. I have 265-ish and that is too many for me. As a new player I tried to have about 80, that included racing stock, broodmares, foals and yearlings. Oh, can I add that if I had it to do over again I would have held off on the breeding aspect? All of my early breeding attempts are pretty bad, and I have probably wasted a lot of cash on marginal mares, stud fees and board/other fees.

For the ratio, just look for good horses that can be competitive. You can always keep horses apart via different racing circuits on different continents.

Where to race? I've kind of narrowed this into 2 categories for my stable with the good horses being entered in whatever is the most appropriate race in terms of surface, distance and other entrants. The other part of my stable are fillers, where I look for short fields where they will get a check. For fillers you have to make sure that shipping won't eat up your earnings.

You are typically better shipping to a farm near where the horse will be racing next, if possible. I think that if you will look at the numbers, unless you are looking at one of the very expensive farms, you break even or come out ahead of a shorter shipping rate than shipping along distance to get to a free farm (look at the shipping rates).

No Sim harness racing.

Yes, Sim betting, if you are 18 or older. You can modify your profile in the game to refect your age to enable betting. Betting is only available for 24 hours or so before the races are run.

Hope that helps! Feel free to message me if you have any other questions! And good luck!

[Leigh Ann Anderson]

Oh, and definately take advantage of Trial Park, especially the first 2 races of each card. Eric Nalbone has donated a lovely group of yearlings as prizes for the winners of the first two races each week. Some of these horses have gone on to be HUGE for their winning trainers. Live Strong, Lionize and my own girl Alert to name just a few horses dispersed through this program. You can only win 1 of these yearlings per each 1/2 of the year.

[Chris Briggs]

Welcome to the SIM! As for your questions, those above me have covered the bases! If any other questions pop up, don't hesitate to ask!

[Edward Trent]

A word (or two)of warning on the betting...

There is no Morning Line or odds listed. So you REALLY have to look at every horse in the field closely to separate the contenders and pretenders.

Betting is pari-mutual. Just because you can bet every race, doesnt mean that every race will have active bets on it. On many races, you may be the only person betting. so picking that long shot in a low level claimer may get you back $105 on your $100 bet.

The bets are for win only. No place or show betting, and no exotics (exacta, trifecta, superfecta, daily double, etc.)

Be sure to read "Feature Race" before the big races. There are great preview articles, often providing insight on the field. Especially true before the Triple Crown and Steward's Cup races, where the bets seem to flow like water.

Happy wagering!

[Lori Hamill]

I want to thank everyone for all of their advice and help! You're all great and I really appreciate it.

I ran 2 horses in races on Friday. They both came in last! I love them anyway, though! One of them was injured during the race, though, and I feel terrible! She has an entrapped epiglottis that cost $15,000 to repair! Whew, I'm so glad I had the money.

It does bring me up to this question though: What happens if you run out of money? All of my horses are from the sale page, most were only $1,000 - but what if none of them win any money and eventually I run out? What will happen to my horses? Will they be repossessed?

Another question concerning Ask the Vet. If I had the vet check my horse who developed the entrapped epiglottis before I raced him, would the vet have been able to warn me about this possibility? Is it worth it to have all of my horses checked by the vet before running them? Along those same lines, was the entrapped epiglottis something that I could have prevented? Was it my fault?

Another question. when I buy a horse there is always that little tab for "Change Home Location" - what is the purpose of having a home location?

Thank you for the advice about the betting. It'll probably be awhile before I get into that aspect, (I think) because I want to figure out my horses and the whole SIM thing first. I've been trying to compare it with Real Life racing and I do throw down a small bet in RL sometimes.

The advice about Trial Park is excellent. Race 1 & 2 seem to get full very fast, but I'll keep trying on that. I have a few horses running this week there. (I hope there are no more injuries!)

I really enjoy getting these horses and trying to figure out why they have never won a race. So even if they don't do well, I still think it's so neat to be able to try and figure them out. That is the biggest appeal to me as a beginner. I think that's why I mainly have bought $1,000 horses. There must be a reason why they haven't done well. But then again, in Real Life, it's the claimers that make the sport go round! There's always hope, right?!

Thank you all very much for your help!

[Amy Atkins]

Hello and welcome! I'll take a quick stab at some of your latest questions:

No worries about both your horses finishing last! It took until the end of my first year here before I got my first winner, and I know some people who've had to wait even longer than that. Wins come with time and learning, so just be patient and the results will come in!

As for your injured horse, it might help if you gave us the name of the horse in question so we can see what the situation was. However, in my experience injuries are the result of overworked and overtired horses. Had you given the horse a workout or race earlier in the week? If so, that's probably why the injury occurred. A good rule of thumb is to race 2 year olds every 4 weeks or so, and 3 year olds and up every 3 weeks or so. If you keep your horses on that regular racing schedule, they won't need workouts at all! And best of all, they'll likely stay injury free.

I don't know that the vet would have warned you about the specific injury, but he likely would have said your horse was not in top form before the race. Most people use the vet to check if a horse is at its peak right before a big stakes race, or if they forgot to ship until very late and are worried if it tired the horse out. Otherwise, I wouldn't recommend checking with the vet at all, as it costs money every time and that adds up! It's definitely not necessary to vet check all your horses before every race. Like I said above, you'll pretty much avoid injury if you just stick to that kind of racing schedule.

I don't use the "Choose Home Location" feature myself, so I'll let someone else handle that question.

The best advice I can give about running out of money is: don't! People's opinions may vary, but I think it's good to keep at least $20,000 in your account at all times. This will cover board and shipping for the horses you have, as well as ensure you have enough to handle any unexpected injuries that might crop up.

I hope this info helps you out!

[Bryan Doolittle]

"Another question. when I buy a horse there is always that little tab for "Change Home Location" - what is the purpose of having a home location?"

I use this for all of the horses being kept at Madrona Ridge (no stable fees). I set Madrona Ridge Wa as the home location so when they are done racing at Trial Park, it is easier and quicker to send them back to the farm. You go to the results page after the race and they ship direct. You don't have to go through finding the farm name in the pull down menu for each horse after every race + eliminates accidentally shipping them to Madrona Cashbah.

Side note:Thanks to Ryen Hanna for providing this free stable that is close to Trial Park

[Carolyn Eaton]

The trapped epiglottis - I haven't seen that in the SIM before - maybe one of the newer "reality" features (In real life, a horse I own 1% of did that, though) - may be a random phenomena.

If I keep a horse in a circuit, I use the home location, otherwise I ship to nearest farm to the track.

[Lori Hamill]

Wow! Thank for the great help! I'm learning, slow but sure!

Cleo Patra (nice name!) I had no idea that week 16 and week 1 were so close together. I didn't realize how soon the new season starts after the old one is over. I actually thought there were months off inbetween. That poor horse! Worked into an illness! Well, she'll get a nice long rest now and I'll be very careful about how soon I work-out or race another after a work out. Thank you also for finding her. I don't really know how to do a link yet. I also didn't realize there should be a fairly long rest after work outs. My poor horses!! I'm exhausting them! Duh! OK, no more work outs for this herd!

The free stables are a real blessing! Madrona Ridge and Whispering Oaks rock! What nice people to offer them! That will be one of my goals (way down the line) to eventually have a farm that I can offer for free. It's incredibly nice to have them there for between races and for the babies.

Right now, I'm still afraid to attempt to race my 2-year-olds. I only have two of them, and I think they're both routers so I'm holding off as long as I can make myself wait.

I don't really have any horses that are going to be entering any big stakes races. Most of my horses have never won a race, in real life they would probably be considered claimers but I have hopes that some will have a special spark or two. If nothing else, they will be teaching me things along the way.

I've been trying to keep my money at about $40,000. Between stable fees and everything I don't want my horses to starve. I don't know how to get money except by racing and I'm not so sure about the chances of my horses winning money.

Each year or season do we get to start with $100,000 again or is that only for when someone first joins?

A big thank you to everyone again for the great help with my endless questions!

[Scott Eiland]

your 100k seed money is the only money you get from the game, so coming up with an income plan as you start out is of paramount importance.

Solution? write for the Feature Race. Preview/review a race, write a column, interview a celeb, or pontificate the essence of SIM life. They pay from 10k-25k or so per pop.

Just don't do what one SIMster did and write an article consisting only of vowels.

[Eric Nalbone]

Just a few comments:

1) One of the nice things about the SIM is that once a horse is recovered from an injury, it's done. As far as I know, a horse having been injured once doesn't make it more likely to be injured again, and once it's back in racing shape it shouldn't negatively impact performance. We've all had horses injured before, and as injuries go this is a relatively inconsequential injury - it was one of your first races and all you miss is a few weeks of training with a two year old who truth be told was going to appreciate a rest anyway. The $15,000 was the biggest impact to you right now, so you'll be ok - that's a big hit when you only start with $100k, but like Scott said, writing a few articles is a good way to pump up your cash flow!

2) In terms of how many horses one "should" own or even how many people TYPICALLY own, there's no right answer. I have almost 1000 horses (948 to be exact, and I'll probably top 1,000 in the next few weeks before I sell off some 280 of them). Of that massive, massive group however, only about 175 are racehorses - the majority are broodmares (380) and yearlings/foals (depending on the time of the year - if it's early in the year before I've sold my current yearlings and started breeding, I'll have almost as many yearlings as broodmares. If it's late in the year, I'll have almost as many foals as broodmares. Since, ya know, they tend to go together in a 1:1 ratio! )

I don't recommend that anyone get that big until you're sure you are both organized and committed enough to handle it - most people would find managing 1,000 horses rather more of a chore than an entertaining endeavor, and I wager that most people would faint if they had to breed 380 mares in a year. I, however, love it and wish I had twice the number of mares to breed. I couldn't handle a racing string 1,500 horses strong, which is what a broodmare band of 380 mares would imply if I raced all the horses I bred through their 4 or 5 year old year, so I sell all but the absolute cream of my crop. It's mostly about figuring out what you can and want to do - you can get as big or stay as small as you like. That's part of the beauty of the SIM - you can play as the SIM equivalent of Todd Pletcher/Scott Lake with hundreds upon hundreds of horses, or you can play as something more along the lines of Carl Nafzger, and stay semi-retired and very well tucked away while training 5-10 horses.

Of course, if you go the "establish a gigantic monstrous behemoth of a racing string" route, that takes some time to assemble, but you definitely can get there!

[Eric Nalbone]

The advice about Trial Park is excellent. Race 1 & 2 seem to get full very fast, but I'll keep trying on that. I have a few horses running this week there. (I hope there are no more injuries!)

Last point - depending on the types of races, the rules for "also eligibles" differ. When Races 1 & 2 are maidens, it's first-come first-serve for the spots there. When they're other types of races, horses are given preference in the field based on the number of points they've earned. Just because a race is full then doesn't mean you can't enter it if you have a qualified horse - if they land on the AE list you can always pull them out - there's no penalty for entering and scratching, just don't ship them until it looks like they're definitely in the race.

I don't have a link to the detailed explanation of that at my fingertips, but its around somewhere if you dig a little.